Monthly Archives: November 2016

We had our annual community tree planting day a little later than usual this year. With all of the rain this season the trees should have sufficient moisture to establish in an area surrounded by secondary forest on the reserve. We planted about 70 trees along the Gavilan trail. The tree planters included Cloudbridge employees and volunteers, tourists from Spain, and community members from San Gerardo.

Edgar preparing the site by cutting away invasive ferns and shrubs.

Planting crew

Research:

DK Nicol (with the bug), and Oli Aylen (with the camera). They are here studying the role of downed woody material (i.e. logs) as habitat for saproxylic invertebrates (i.e. invertebrates that depending on dead or dying wood). Both are Bachelor’s students from Otago University in New Zealand. Oli is currently undertaking a Bachelor degree with a major in Zoology and a minor in Ecology and is an accomplished photographer. DK has previously taught English in schools around the world, is an avid cyclist and outdoorsman, and is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Ecology degree.

DK Nicol

Oli Aylen

Fredie From England is here on an internship studying Dung Beetles. Using a variety of traps throughout the reserve she is studying the diversity and relative abundance of beetles. The design of the trap pictured is called a flight intercept trap and aims at catching dung beetles as they fly over the bait rather than the beetles that just make a direct landing. The best bait so far has proved to be human poop which brings in the dung beetles in much greater numbers. Rotten fruit and coati poop are also used as bait. Still to try are rotten fish and fungi which might attract some specialist species.